Forget YouTube over Bravia Internet Video Link, Sony plans on making the dongle relevant this winter by releasing the blockbuster Hancock for viewing to anyone who has the device hooked up to their Sony HDTV. This debut will happen before the flick hits shelves as a DVD and makes for an interesting end-around VOD services, competing movie delivery boxes or any thorny MPAA proposals. Unfortunately its exposure is limited to those with Bravia TVs, a good Internet connection and the $299 device, and willing to pay an as-yet-unspecified amount for the privilege. We're also still waiting to hear the details of Sony's PlayStation 3 based movie network, but we wouldn't be surprised if Hancock -- like Click, James Bond and Talladega Nights before it -- pushes multiple Sony platforms at once.

[Thanks, Tyler]

Never afraid to hedge its bets on high definition content distribution, Sony Pictures Television International has joined its counterpart in the U.S. by enabling online retailers to sell its feature films and TV shows in DivX format. With even more DivX Certified hardware in homes and hitting the shelves soon, we just want to see who will put this content on the market, and how.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

Ok, we know the PlayStation 3 is getting a movie download service this year - but apparently much work remains to be done. Variety checked into the situation and sees the number of movie studios signed on at present stands at exactly one: Sony Pictures. Never fear, because being late to the party could benefit Sony as it negotiates deals with other studios similar to the ones already in place for Xbox Live Video Marketplace and iTunes. Also on board is the possibility of transferring flicks to PSP, although that and any other features that expand on the functionality already seen on other services could slow down a deal. We're torn, while having another competitor in digital downloads (and another way to enjoy movies on our PS3) as soon as possible sounds good, we might be willing to wait if it means Sony's leverage can swing more features (or at least some leeway to the DRM currently in place on other services).

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

It doesn't seem like those Sony firmware engineers will be a getting a break any time soon. With the PlayStation 3's v2.30 firmware and its DTS-HD MA / PS store upgrades barely settled Sony Senior VP Peter Dille jumped on the official PlayStation blog to let us know what the rest of 2008 has in store. In-game XMB? On the way this year, along with a video service that "separates the service from others you've seen or used...to give you the TV, movies and gaming content you want," and expanded community features. Also in store are PlayStation Cards (in $20 and $50 denominations) for the credit card-less among us. The four pillars of Sony's plan (community, free online gaming, digital media download services, and original content) hint towards the reasons we won't let the shiny beast get quite as dusty this year.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Looking to get into the online movie business? Well sit down because CinemaNow and Technicolor have a deal for you, since they've hooked up and are offering a "better way to deliver the digital content consumers are demanding". Basically the plan is to take the internet movie store CinemaNow has developed franchise, and allow other companies to introduce their own marketplace without having to develop their own encoding, encryption, DRM, hosting or other necessary technology -- and it sounds like a good one to us. Technicolor brings not only its infrastructure, but also plans to collab with CinemaNow on projects like adding additional HD movies to its 10,000+ database of titles. Of course CinemaNow's compatibility with the Xbox 360 and other devices is part of the package (though we wonder if those DVD burning issues have been resolved) -- potentially turning competition like Netflix, Blockbuster or Wal-Mart into partners.

[Via Reuters]

One of the criticisms leveled at digital distribution over old fashioned discs is a lack of extras, but Warner Bros. has something for that with its latest release, Nancy Drew: Drew's Clues. Available digitally (VOD, Amazon Unbox, iTunes, Xbox Marketplace) from the same day as the DVD release, viewers can either get the regular movie, or the Drew's Clues edition with "Movies that Pop" pop ups for trivia facts, quizzes and behind the scenes info. This is aimed primarily at the teen-girl sleepover crowd, and while the regular flick is out in HD on all services, Drew's Clues is SD only, plus, to watch it both ways, you would have to rent (and pay for) both versions separately. Key advance that increases the appeal of downloads, or one more reason to take the remote when you leave your tween home alone, we can't decide. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Via Variety]

No sooner than Comcast announced that it would soon be offering up select films via HD VOD the same day they landed on DVD, Cablevision has come along and attempted to stay level. Unfortunately for it, the firm's Popcorn DVDs On Demand service, which is available to iO TV customers, looks to be SD only for now. Of course, it still enables subscribers to watch new releases on launch day from the comfort of their couch, but a twist is thrown in by forcing renters to have the film shipped to their door (on DVD) as well. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an option for only renting right now, so you'll be coughing up $19.95 (plus shipping) for any DVD / VOD purchase you choose to make. As it stands, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Kingdom, Eastern Promises and Sydney White are slated to kick things off, with American Gangster becoming available on February 19th.

Comcast made absolutely sure we knew it was serious about HD VOD during CES, and lo and behold, it's beginning to make good on its promises. Announced today, a slew of upcoming films will be available on the firm's "signature video on demand" in both SD and HD -- on the exact same day as the DVD release, no less. Furthermore, it's also following the vision set forth in Project Infinity by offering up a number of television premieres via HD VOD "at least one week before airing on linear television channels." Among the movie titles slated to hit soon are The Brave One, Rendition, No Reservations and Michael Clayton, while The Tudors and Flavor of Love hold things down on the TV series front. Take a look at the full release after the jump.

Sonic Solutions has announced it will no longer sell the HD DVD version of its Scenarist professional authoring software, focusing instead on Blu-ray and digital distribution. Sonic -- provider of consumer authoring software under the Roxio brand (still w/ that sweet HD DVD flavor, at least for now) -- plans to expand its features to ease creation of BD Live features, and package high definition video for delivery on any of the many platforms popping up. It's not all bad for red fans, Sonic promises to continue customer support and product updates "where appropriate" for its HD DVD package, and a special promotion for users to switch to Blu-ray, although the terms aren't mentioned.

[Thanks, Kiwi616]

For Bourne fans the world over, you're well aware of what tomorrow is. December 11th, of course, is the day that The Bourne Ultimatum will be landing on DVD / HD DVD, but what you may not realize is that it will also be launching on VUDU. Granted, we've seen simultaneous launches before, but this is quite an eventful way for VUDU to get the ball rolling on its HD movie releases. We already knew the firm was aiming to release HD flicks before the holidays, and just recently it announced that a number of studios had already signed on. Universal Pictures, however, is going the extra mile by being the first to unveil a downloadable HD version of a major motion picture on the same day the actual disc hits shelves. Notably, The Bourne Ultimatum won't be available as a rental (purchase only), and while it appears that it'll run users $24.99, it sure sounds like the previous two Bourne films will be available "for free during the holiday season."

We were wondering how long it would take to get a high definition blockbuster movie onto Xbox Live Video Marketplace, and it looks like Microsoft and Major Nelson just got in under the wire for 2006, adding Superman Returns yesterday. Weighing in at 7 GB for the 720p HD version (2 GB in 480p SD... for the masochists out there) for the 154 minute movie, it's finally time to clear off some of the Xbox 360 demos we downloaded and see if digital distribution works better in 2007 than it did last year. We'll be back with our impressions of the service, now that they've posted something we want to watch on our HDTVs.

Blockbuster Chief Executive John Antioco said as much at the Reuters Media summit recently, indicating that packaged media is going to remain the best way to get movies, especially in high definition, for a long time. He anticipates DVDs will remain the best way for studios to profit from their releases and high definition formats will increase that over the next few years. Given recent events, we can't argue that digital distribution might not be fully baked just yet; but the ongoing format war makes us think the possibility of downloadable HDTV content catching up before consumers get comfortable with either Blu-ray or HD DVD is a bit higher than Antioco lets on. He did note that Blockbuster would be getting into the download business, possibly as early as next year.

The recap episode of Battlestar Galactica was posted on Xbox Live Marketplace yesterday and we regret to inform you it was not high definition. We're not entirely surprised at the resolution, a 720p-encoded file would have been a long download, not to mention the Xbox 360's smallish 20GB hard drive. Unfortunately it gets worse, the presentation was in widescreen, but with included bars at the top and bottom as though it were intended only for 4x3 SDTVs. Why they opted for a version that looks like it was taped off of Sci-fi network onto someone's VHS we will never know, but with the artifacting and low quality of the file we cannot recommend this to anyone in good faith. Hopefully they will do better when the episode is aired on Universal HD in September and it will be presented natively in widescreen. Oddly, despite the low quality of this file, you can download two HD clips of upcoming kids show Viva Piñata that look fantastic; hopefully future downloads will follow their lead instead of the quick and dirty approach apparently used on BSG.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]